When you're a pen freak like me, you spend as much time organising your stationery (and other hobbies' detritus) as you spend using it. My setup is not fancy. I don't have a huge house, I don't have a dream home office or desk setup. I have a beaten-up Ikea desk and office chair that … Continue reading Behind the scenes: storage, travel and writing desks
pens
The magnificent seven: week five
My poor pen collection has had a very disruptive week. Two of the pens in my week four selection (the Pineider and Diplomat) went into the 'for sale' pile, so I took them out of rotation. But I wrote the Lamy 2000 dry, and had good runs with the 149 and Optima. And then today … Continue reading The magnificent seven: week five
Pens for sale!
If you read my last post, you'll have spotted that I've bought rather a lot of pens in the past couple of months. So it's time to sell some and restore balance to the force. Also, I want a Conid. As usual with my sales, all pens below are in well looked-after condition and are … Continue reading Pens for sale!
A portrait of the Visconti Van Gogh
Almost without planning it, I've ended up with five Viscontis — more than any other brand in my collection. And two of those five are the "Van Gogh" model, Visconti's relatively inexpensive steel-nibbed model (alongside the Rembrandt and the new Mirage, I guess). The Van Gogh isn't perfect — in fact, it has some of … Continue reading A portrait of the Visconti Van Gogh
Magnificent seven: Black Friday edition
I swore to myself: no new pens before Christmas. But (predictably) I failed. The Black Friday discounts got the better of me. I'm undecided how I feel about this ultimately consumerist holiday, and what it means for the small retailers and brands that I try to support. But my actions speak louder than my words. … Continue reading Magnificent seven: Black Friday edition
The great puzzle of the Pineider La Grande Bellezza
The Pineider La Grande Bellezza is a confusing pen, with some head-scratching design decisions marring what could have been a great addition to the pantheon of Italian fountain pens. Let me rattle through the basics first. This is a cartridge/converter pen, of pretty good size, with a 14k nib and a metal section. It comes … Continue reading The great puzzle of the Pineider La Grande Bellezza
I really wanted to like the Lamy Imporium
When I found out that Dapprman had a Lamy Imporium, I practically jumped up and down with glee to try it. And then he let me borrow it! See, the pen community is a wonderful thing. The Imporium is Lamy's flagship, descended from the 1990s Persona. It's an uncommon pen. I am a huge fan … Continue reading I really wanted to like the Lamy Imporium
Montegrappa’s Extra ‘The Sea’ makes a big splash
Let's get the name out of the way first: the pen I'm reviewing here is the Montegrappa Extra 1930 Colori del Mare 'The Sea', a limited edition of 27 pens produced for Chatterley Luxuries (there are six other colours too, each in an edition of 15 pens). I'm going to call it the 'Extra' from … Continue reading Montegrappa’s Extra ‘The Sea’ makes a big splash
The magnificent seven: week two
Last week's seven turned out great. I used every pen heavily, with the exception of the Pelikan M400. At last I managed to gel with the Pilot 823, although it still doesn't feel 'right' to me every time I pick it up. The Montegrappa Extra and Montblanc 1912 proved deliciously smooth for evening journalling; the … Continue reading The magnificent seven: week two
The Leonardo Momento Zero is simply fabulous
I've teased this in the last couple of posts, so I'll come right out and say it: the Leonardo Momento Zero has blown me away. In this review I'll explain why. First impressions? Beautiful pen. It's testament to Leonardo's designers that I agonised for a long time over which colour to pick: turquoise, dark red, … Continue reading The Leonardo Momento Zero is simply fabulous
